Automatic gun.



Patented Oct. 3l, |899.

No. e36,|96.

A. BURGESS.

AUTOMATIC GUN.

(Application led Feb. 25, 189B.)

3 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

,FlmliN Patented Oct. 3|, |899. A. BURGESS.

AUTOMATIC GUN.

(Application led Feb, 25, 1896.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2` (No Model.)

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3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

Brien.

ANDREW BURGESS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, TO THE WINCIIES- TER REPEATING ARMS COMPANY, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

AUTOMATIC GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming; part of Letters Patent No. 636,196, dated October 81, 1899. Y Application filed February 25,1896. Serial No. 580,719. (No model.)

T0 JZ whom it 71mg/ concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW BURGEss, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Guns, of which the following is a Specication, ret'- erence being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates io automatic guns.

The object of the invention is to produce an automatic gun in which the breech mechanism shall be operated by pressure developed in the bore of the gun on iring; also, to improve the construction by which the breech may be opened and the hammer raised by hand as well as automatically; also, to improve the mechanism by which the cart'ridgeshell is ejected from the gun; also, to improve the magazine and means for attaching the same and for improving various details and combinations of parts.

Figure l is a vertical central longitudinal section of a gun on a pistol-stock, showing most of the parts in section, but some parts in elevation, the breech being closed and hammer down. Fig. 2 is a similar section of the gun with the breech open. Fig. 3 is a. vertical longitudinal section of the frame or mounting with operative parts removed. Fig. 4 is a section ou line e 4:, Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5, Fig. l. Fig. 6 is asection on line 6 6, Fig. l. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of rear end of magazine. Figs. 8 and U are respectively a broken side elevation and a broken longitudinal section, and Fig. lO a cross-section, of a modification wherein a diierent mechanical construction is employed for the application of the gas-pressure to actuate the breech mechanism. Fig. 1l is a cross-section of the bolt, firing-pin, and end of locking-lever on line ll. Fig. l2 is a broken side elevation of frame and hand or thumb levers hereinafter described.

The frame A is of suitable strength and any usual construction, the barrel B being held to the frame by screw-threads, and the side plates A being preferably separate and attached by screws or in other suitable manner. These plates A have a guide-groove A2, in which the bolt C moves longitudinally to close or open the gun-breech.

The breech-bolt'is shown in two sections, the upper section C having a slight longitudinal movement relatively to the lower part C of the bolt, I'or a purpose to be explained. The bolt will be iirst described as it it were integral, as may be the case in some of the combinations l claim. The bolt is guided in the ways A2 in a manner well understood. The operating-lever D is pivoted in the I'rame on a transverse screw or piu E, and in its forA ward position bears against au abutment iu the lower part of the bolt and locks the bolt in closed position, and when the upper end of said lever D is sw ung backward it unlocks the bolt, cams back the tiring-pin, andthen moves the bolt and its attacninent back in a wellknown way. The backward movement of the lever also operates the carrier i" to raise a cartridge, said carrier being pivoted in the frame, as is common.

The lever D is preferably composed 'of two bars, which are joined by the stud D". The hammer ll is hung on the pivot E between the side bars of the operating-lever and pressed forward by a mainsl'iring ll/ ol any suitable or usual construction.

The carrier F is preferably extended to the rear beyondV its pivot F', and the side bars, one or both, have abutn'ieuts F2, against which the operating-lever bears to lift the cart-ridge when the operating-lever has been swung nearly to its extreme rearward position.

The operating-lever is generally swung to Aopen and close the breech by means of counections extending from the lever below its pivot toward the front of the gun and operated by pressure in the bore. as will now be described.

I indicates a link, which is connected by a pivot or other suitable connection to the operating-lever D below the fulcrum of said lever, being shown as connected by a pin to the side bars of said lever. This link lis pivoted to the draw-rod K, which extends to a movable piece forward on the barrel. It

will be apparent to a person skilled in this art that the reciproeation of this rod l( will swing the operating-lever and so open or elose the breech, cock the hammer, and raise the carrier, whether said rod K be reeiprecated by hand or by some other power.

IOO

In Figs. l and 2 a telescopic piece or tube ll is shown surrounding the front part of the gun-barrel and formingl a movable muzzlesection. The rod l( is firmly attached to this muzzle-section by a ring K', which surrounds said muzzle-section, and the rod is pressed back by a spring l.

'l `l1e passage of the gas through the barrel when the gun is fired tends to throw the tubular section violently forward. Especially is this the case if the front of the tube l is somewhat brought in or choke-bored.

The barrel of the gun may be rifled with twist-grooves, as at l, and the muzzle-section in front of the rifling may be of enlarged diameter and provided with straight or longitudinal grooves, as indicated at 2, Fig. 1. Preferably the muzzle or extreme front will be drawn in or choked The object of the longitudinal grooves is to give a final direction to shot should shot be fired from a rifley barrel, as may sometimes be done. The tendency of a spiral ritling in a gun isA to cause shot to fly wild or scatter, and this is overcome to some extent by longitudinal grooves extending back a little way from the extreme front or muzzle of the gun.

NVith some kinds of ammunition the tendency to shoot forward the telescopic muzzle of the gnu may not be great enough to operate the breech mechanism by the connections I have described. In such case another form of mechanism may be applied to the barrel, as indicated in Figs. 8, 9, and l0. In such case the barrel B has a sleeve L applied forward of the cartridge-chamber. This sleeve L has a chamber M, which is similar to the operating-cylinder of an engine. The gas from the bore of the gun enters the cylinder or chamber through an opening O,communi eating with the bore of the barrel. A piston N, which works gas-tight in this cylinder, is

connected to the draw-rod K. The gas pressing from the bore of the gun through opening O moves the piston N forward, and so by means of the draw-rod K opens the breech of the gun.

The breech of the gun is closed by a reverse movement of the rod K, which is effected by a strong spring P, located in any suit-able position to bear against a fixed part of the gun and against the draw-rod. As the draw-rod may extend forward to almost any convenient position, the location of this spring P may be such as is found convenient.

I will now describe the mechanism by which the sectional breech-bolt is made to eject the cartridge-shell.

The body of the bolt C is guided in the frame, as usual. The upper part C' of the bolt is made separate therefrom and has ribs or a dovetail which enters longitudinal grooves in the top of the bolt, as clearly shown in section, Fig. Il. The spring-hook extractor C? is attached to the top section of the bolt in a manner common for securing extractors t0 breech-bolts. The sect-ion C of the bolt has a wing C3, Fig. 11, extending down in a slot in the body ofi the'bolt C, and. this wing has an inclined face, which being engaged by the front of the operating-levell D when the bolt is closed forces the bolt-section C' forward, so that its face is flush with the front of the bolt proper. The section Cof the bolt is slotted longitudinally for the reception of the firing-pin p, as usual. At the rear of the bolt-section C, in a suitable recess, there is pivoted a short lever Q, which lever swings sov that in certain positions its lower end extends back of the end of the bolt-section C, and its upper end always extends into a notch in the bolt-section'C'. When the bolt is closed and locked, the locking-brace D holds the upper bolt-section "forward, but when the .bolt is moved back the lower end of the lever Q is brought suddenly against the abutment R, in the frame, thus rocking the lever Q on its pivot and moving the upper bolt-section C backward relatively to the bolt-section C, there being sufficient space back of the boltsection C to permit this movement. This backward movement of the upper bolt-section and extractor at the instant the lower bolt-section is stopped serves to flip the cartridge from the gun.

The trigger T engages the hammer in usual manner, and the trigger may be held toits Work by any usual trigger-spring.

The filler-piece S at the front of the frame has a cylindrical opening, into which the rear end of the magazine-tube enters. Any usual detent may be employed to feed the cartridges back into the carrier at the proper time, the same forming no part of the presentinvention.

The magazine-tube V is of thin metal, with its rear end split to form fingers V", the ends of these fingers being normally bent slightly outward and then inward, forming grooves or recesses across the inner faces of these fingers. A ring V3 slides over the magazinetube near its end and when slid back clamps the fingers in onto the flange of a cartridge, should a cartridge be placed in proper position in the tube. The magazine-tube will be provided with the usual spring-follower.

Then the magazine is entered from the front into the hole in filler S, the ring V3, which is too large to enter the hole, is pushed forward on the tube, allowing the springfingers to expand outward and release the cartridge, which is then passed back to the follower.

The magazine-tube is 'held at its front end by spring-clasps W, which partly surround the tube in a manner well known. The tube has a bead or projection V4, which rests against the edge of the clasp \V when the magazine is in place, thus preventing forward movement of the magazine.

IThe gun will be loaded and fired automatically and continuously as long as there are cartridges in the magazine if the trigger is pulled after the first shot. To load the first IOO los

cachee cartridge, the breech mechanism can be operated by hand by means of a lever X, hung loosely on the pin or pivot E and having a pin or screw X passing through the curved slot AX in the frame and entering the operating-lever. The lever X is provided with a suitable thumb-piece by which it may be turned back, carrying with it the operatinglever, and thus opening the breech against the spring-pressure on the draw-rod.

Should it be desirable to cock or half-cock the hammer without opening the breech, this can be done by means of the lever Y or the entire breech mechanism by means of the lever X, the lever X in such case pressing back the lever Y through the intermediate parts.

It will be understood that many of the claims are not limited to precise constructions. I have in some instances described modifications or equivalents; but as it would be impossible within reasonable limits to describe all modifications and equivalents I state here that my invention is believed to be as broad as the claims herein made,

What I claim is- 1. In a gun the breech-bolt composed of sections, one section having a movement relatively to the other and carrying the extractor, and means for throwing back the section carrying the extractor after the completion of the opening movement of the main bolt to eject gitudinal movement relatively to the other, each section having a locking-shoulder, and a locking-brace engaging the shoulders of both bolt-sections, to lock them both forward in closed position, all combined substantially as described.

4. The magazine-tube split to form springngers at its rear end, said iingers normally slightly expanded and then turned in, and the ring surrounding said tube near the fmgers so as to compress or release the same, substantially as described.

5. The magazine having spring-fingers integral therewith, the ring surrounding said tube and sliding thereon, and the frame having a hole adapted to receive the fingers 'of the magazine but to press back the ring', substantially as described.

6. The magazine-tube and the cartridge retaining and feeding mechanism connected thereto, said tube having a circumferential bead or corrugation, and the spring-clasp on the barrel embracing the said tube next the bead, all combined substantially as described.

7. The frame, breech-closing bolt, and operating-leverpivoted in the frame,the thumblever loosely pivoted outside the frame, and a pin connecting said lever to the operatinglever through a curved slot in the frame, all combined substantially as described.

8. The frame, breech-bolt, and the operating-lover, and the hammer pi 7oted within the frame, said frame having a curved slot therein, and the two levers pivoted outside the frame, one connected to the hammer and the other to the operating-lever by pins passing through the curved slot, all combined substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ANDREW BURGEss.

Witnesses:

CHAS. T. SPARo, W. A. BARTLETT. 

